What can cause a fall?

Risk factors and injuries associated with falls can be classified as personal (also known as intrinsic) risk factors and environmental (also known as extrinsic) risk factors. Whist a fall can be caused by a single risk factor, it are more likely to be caused by multiple risk factors.

Examples of risk factors:

Has fallen in the past

Sore feet and unsafe shoes

Health problems

Loss of balance

Medications

Changes in walking

Poor diet

Not being active

Poor or loss of eyesight

Home hazards

For a fall to occur, a person must be performing an activity. For example, moving from the bed to the bathroom in the evening. The fall may occur because the older person has poor eye sight (intrinsic), they tripped on a carpet in the bedroom (extrinsic) and they were moving in a hurry to move from their bedroom to the toilet (activity).

Warning signs that someone may be at a risk of a fall: What are you looking for?